A blog dedicated to the reasonable, rational and tolerant discussion of today's issues...With a focus on Politics, let's discuss it, shall we?

Monday, May 20, 2013

"If We Could See Inside Other's Hearts..." from the Cleveland Clinic

The Cleveland Clinic, one of the premier hospitals in the United States, has produced and released a short but powerful video on the importance of empathy when it comes to not only patients, but each other, in all walks of life. There is no dialogue, just a series of images of people, young and old, men and women, black, white, etc. and captions describing each person's situation. The video is underscored with an effective musical bed that compliments the various scenes nicely.

Its called, "If We Could See Inside Other's Hearts..."

The message is conveyed in a clever but respectful way. Its "everyman" quality allows it to reach a wide audience. I'm not sure of the intended application of the production, but one would hope its a part of every new hire's orientation. Too often in health care, patients are "conditions" not people. I understand why that is and its not my intent to address that here. If the video allows a few "new" moments of empathy or understanding, I have to think that's a good thing. Most health care professionals know where to draw the line on controlling their emotions, out of necessity. To be able to see a health care worker perhaps use a gentler tone, explain it one more time, etc...it might make the experience for both the patient and provider a little better, a little more human.